Cleveland wins 21st in a row; Wednesday's Major League Baseball roundup

Cape Breton Post

Published: Sep 14, 2017 at midnight

Updated: Oct 02, 2017 at 10:55 a.m.

CLEVELAND _ Making history almost every time they take the field,
the Cleveland Indians won their 21st straight game on Wednesday, 5-3
over the Detroit Tigers, to set an American League record and join
only two other teams in the past 101 years to win that many in a
row.

baseball post

Jay Bruce hit a three-run homer off Buck Farmer (4-3), and Mike Clevinger (10-5) won his consecutive straight start as the Indians matched the 1935 Chicago Cubs for the second-longest winning streak since 1900. The run has put Cleveland within five wins of catching the 1916 New York Giants, who won 26 straight without a loss but whose century-old mark includes a tie.

Roberto Perez added a homer in the seventh and four Cleveland relievers finished. Cody Allen got his 27th save, giving the Indians the league's longest streak since the AL was founded in 1901.

During the streak, which began with a 13-6 win over Boston ace Chris Sale on Aug. 23, the Indians have outscored their opponents 139-35 and trailed in only four of 189 innings. Cleveland starters are 19-0 with a 1.70 ERA, and the Indians have totalled more homers (40) than runs allowed.

Cleveland opens a four-game series Thursday night at home against Kansas City, which was outscored 20-0 during its three-day visit last month.

YANKEES 3, RAYS 2

NEW YORK (AP) _ A disappointed Jaime Garcia didn't even look at manager Joe Girardi when the pitcher was removed one out shy of qualifying for his first win with the Yankees, and New York edged Tampa Bay to take two of three games in a series moved from Florida to Citi Field because of Hurricane Irma.

Making his first appearance since Aug. 30, Garcia allowed only Kevin Kiermaier's solo homer in 4 2/3 innings. Chad Green (5-0) struck out three of his four batters and Aroldis Chapman got four outs for his 18th save in 22 chances. Chapman fanned four and earned his first save of more than three outs since Game 5 of last year's World Series for the Chicago Cubs. The Yankees won their fourth straight series.

A pro-Yankees crowd of 13,159 raised the total for the series to 49,510. Tickets were $25 each day.

Tampa Bay was heading back home after the game and returns to Tropicana Field for a five-game homestand starting Friday against Boston.

Chris Archer (9-10) dropped to 0-3 in his last four starts, giving up three runs in four-plus innings. He needed 92 pitches to get 12 outs.

New York took a 3-0 lead in the second, when Todd Frazier hit an RBI single and Brett Gardner had a two-run single.

WHITE SOX 5, ROYALS 3

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) _ Jose Abreu hit a tiebreaking sacrifice fly in the ninth inning, and Chicago won a series in Kansas City for the first time since 2015.

Tim Anderson singled, went to second on a wild pitch by Scott Alexander (4-4) and stole third before scoring on Abreu's fly ball. Avisail Garcia added an RBI single to make it 5-3.

Juan Minaya (3-2) pitched 1 1/3 scoreless innings for the win. Last-place Chicago took two of three at Kauffman Stadium, winning its first road series since June 16-18 and damaging the Royals' wild-card hopes.

Adam Engel hit a two-run double for Chicago, which has won four of five. White Sox starter Lucas Giolito gave up only Salvador Perez's solo homer in 6 1/3 innings.

DODGERS 4, GIANTS 1

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) _ Yu Darvish and two relievers combined on a five-hitter, Cody Bellinger hit his 37th home run and Los Angeles won back-to-back games for the first time in nearly three weeks, beating San Francisco.

The win lowered the Dodgers' magic number to seven for clinching the NL West crown. Los Angeles secured at least a wild-card berth in the playoffs Tuesday night with a victory that ended its 11-game losing streak, the club's longest since moving to the West Coast in 1958.

Darvish (9-12), acquired from Texas at the July 31 trade deadline, was 2-3 with a 5.34 ERA in six previous starts with Los Angeles but was crisp in his first career outing against San Francisco. The All-Star right-hander pitched three-hit ball over seven scoreless innings. He struck out five and walked none.

Bellinger hit a two-run drive off Matt Moore (5-14). It's the Dodgers' first series win in San Francisco since September 2014.

ANGELS 9, ASTROS 1

ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) _ Los Angeles scored five runs in the first inning and rode Tyler Skaggs' finest start of the season to beat Houston.

The victory kept the Angels two games behind Minnesota for the second AL wild card, while the Astros' magic number to clinch the AL West title remained at five.

Skaggs (2-5) threw seven shutout innings, holding Houston to three hits. He struck out five and walked one in his first victory since April 22.

Spot starter Mike Fiers (8-10) was charged with eight runs and 10 hits over 3 2/3 innings for the Astros, who have lost five of six.

Center fielder Brett Phillips added three RBIs and threw out a runner at the plate for the Brewers. They have won five of six as they try to keep pace with the NL Central-leading Cubs.

Milwaukee got to Tyler Glasnow (2-7) for five runs, four hits and six walks over 2 2/3 innings in his first start since returning from the minors Sunday.

The Brewers also learned they will host a three-game series this weekend against the Marlins instead of travelling to Miami, as South Florida recovers from Hurricane Irma. Milwaukee will be the visiting team in its own stadium, Miller Park.

Anderson (10-3) gave the battered pitching staff a lift in his first career start on three days' rest. He allowed Andrew McCutchen's first-inning solo shot _ the slugger's 200th career homer _ before exiting with the bases loaded and one out in the sixth.

CUBS 17, METS 5

CHICAGO (AP) _ Javier Baez homered and had four hits, Albert Almora Jr. also went deep and drove in six runs after coming off the bench in the seventh inning, and Chicago routed New York.

Jon Lester (11-7) threw six solid innings to win his third straight start. The left-hander gave up two runs and six hits.

The first-place Cubs matched a season high for runs after pouring on 12 over their final three at-bats. Chicago remained 2 1/2 games ahead of the Brewers and moved three up on St. Louis in the NL Central.

Kris Bryant had three hits and scored four runs. Ben Zobrist also scored four times, and Willson Contreras had three RBIs.

Mets starter Matt Harvey (5-5) lasted just 3 1/3 innings in his third start back from a right shoulder injury. He allowed five runs and seven hits.

Jose Reyes homered leading off the game for New York, and Dominic Smith had a two-run drive. But the Mets clinched their first losing record since 2014 after making the playoffs the past two years.

MARINERS 8, RANGERS 1

ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) _ Mike Zunino homered twice, Jean Segura also went deep and Seattle jumped over Texas in the AL wild-card chase while handing Martin Perez his first loss in eight starts.

Zunino broke a scoreless tie in the fifth with a rare shot into the second-level club deck in left field. His second solo homer, to right-centre in the seventh for his third multihomer game this season, capped a five-run outburst by the Mariners.

Mike Leake (10-12) allowed one run in 5 2/3 innings to win his third consecutive start for the Mariners since they acquired him from St. Louis on Aug. 30. The right-hander was 7-12 in 26 starts for the Cardinals this season.

Perez (12-11) had won seven consecutive starts since losing Aug. 4 at Minnesota, and missed the chance to match Kenny Rogers' franchise record of eight in a row set in 2005. The lefty allowed three runs over 5 1/3 innings.

ATHLETICS 7, RED SOX 3

BOSTON (AP) _ Matt Olson hit a two-run homer, Jed Lowrie had two RBIs and Oakland topped Boston to win for the sixth time in seven games.

The loss sliced Boston's lead in the AL East to three games over the Yankees.

Oakland, which owns the majors' worst road record (22-48), snapped an eight-game losing streak away from home. The last-place A's had dropped their past seven at Fenway Park.

Dustin Pedroia had three singles for Boston to extend his hitting streak against the A's to 26 games. The Red Sox had won five of six.

Jharel Cotton (8-10) picked up the win, allowing three runs in five innings. He entered 1-7 with an 8.00 ERA in night games.

Five relievers held Boston scoreless the rest of the way.

Doug Fister (5-8) was tagged for six runs and six hits in four innings. He was 3-1 with a 1.50 ERA in his previous four starts.

Gausman (11-10) allowed one run and six hits, improving to 3-0 with a 1.51 ERA in six starts against the Blue Jays this season. Adam Jones had two hits and an RBI for the Orioles, who have scored two runs or fewer in six of their past seven. Trey Mancini hit an RBI triple.

Darren O'Day worked the eighth and Zach Britton finished for his 14th save in 16 chances.

Kendrys Morales had three hits for the Blue Jays, who had won four straight. Marcus Stroman (11-8) did not permit an earned run in six innings. He is winless in five starts.

BRAVES 8, NATIONALS 2

WASHINGTON (AP) _ Dansby Swanson smacked a two-run single off Washington ace Max Scherzer in the seventh inning, Matt Kemp hit a grand slam off Brandon Kintzler two batters later and Atlanta pulled away from the Nationals.

The Braves scored six runs in the seventh. Five were charged to Scherzer (14-6), who walked the bases loaded and was allowed to remain in the game despite having thrown 114 pitches. Swanson then hit a 1-0 pitch to left to make it 4-2.

Kemp connected for his seventh career slam and first since 2011.

Washington has dropped back-to-back games since clinching the NL East on Sunday. Scherzer had won six decisions in a row since his previous defeat June 21. He walked six batters, his most in nearly five years.

In his second start since his call-up from Triple-A Gwinnett, Atlanta rookie Luiz Gohara (1-1) needed only 71 pitches to complete six innings and secure his first major league win. He allowed two runs while striking out six.

PHILLIES 8, MARLINS 1

PHILADELPHIA (AP) _ Phillies rookie Rhys Hoskins kept up his record home run pace, connecting for his 17th in 33 major league games as Philadelphia beat Miami behind Aaron Nola.

Hoskins, called up from the minors Aug. 10, is the fastest player in big league history to get to 17 career homers. The record was 42 games by Wally Berger, an outfielder for the Boston Braves in 1930.

The latest long ball came in the fifth inning, when Hopkins hit a fastball from Dan Straily (9-9) for a two-run shot that gave the Phillies some breathing room.

Odubel Herrera also homered for Philadelphia. Nola (11-10) struck out a career-high 11 in seven innings.

Marlins slugger Giancarlo Stanton remained stuck on 54 home runs. Miami has lost four in a row and 14 of 16.